JREN—more than an excellent impact factor!

ARE THE MANUSCRIPTS published in the JREN important and original? Are they of high quality? Do other authors cite references from the JREN when reviewing the literature for related material and discussing important data? While many of us think the answer is an obvious affirmative, the scientific publishing world relies on objective methods to evaluate the caliber of the manuscripts within a journal, and thereby the journal itself. This is accomplished by the use of citation data—how often the work in one journal is cited in another. The Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) created three standardized methods to calculate citation information: impact factor (IF), immediacy index, and cited half-life.1 Out of these three measures, the IF is the measurement that is most widely relied upon by editors to evaluate progress of the journal, and by authors when deciding which journal to publish their work. The ISI evaluates citations from over 7,000 journals and publishes the results annually as the Journal Citation Reports.2 The JREN, now having Index Medicus status for 5 years, qualified for the first time in 2003 to have an IF calculated.

The IF is calculated by dividing the number of current citations received by a journal over the past 2 years by the number of articles published in those same years.1 The JREN 2003 IF therefore reflects the citations in 2003 to articles published in 2001 and 2002 divided by the number of articles published in 2001 and 2002. The resulting IF is the average number of citations the average articles receive yearly in the 2 years after the publication date.1 Variables that affect the IF include the topic of the journal, the type of manuscript categories (ie, reviews, original research), and the size of the journal.1

The 2003 Journal Citation Reports became available this past July. We are pleased to report that the IF for the JREN = 1.350. In addition, the JREN ranks 22 out of 49 journals in the Urology and Nephrology subject category. How does our IF compare to other nephrology journals? The IF for the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology = 7.499, Kidney International = 5.302, American Journal of Kidney Diseases = 3.897, Clinical Nephrology = 1.341, Nephron = 1.097, American Journal of Nephrology = 1.056, and Contrib Nephrol = 0.824.

The importance of the IF for the JREN is significant. In Europe, the IF is very important for nutritionists, scientists, and physicians as it influences decisions regarding academic promotions, public grants, and Research Units funding. If a professional is publishing in journals that have a low IF, this will rank them lower than colleagues publishing in more highly regarded journals. In the USA, the IF may not be used in exactly the same way, but the IF certainly influences an author’s decision as to whether or not to submit their work to a journal. The JREN’s IF and ranking is an outstanding first report. These high-starting numbers demonstrate the relevance and growing value of our journal. It opens new doors for the JREN.

With our online-only manuscript submission process now in full operation, and a successful 12th International Congress on Nutrition & Metabolism in Renal Diseases this past summer (Proceedings to be published in the January, 2005 JREN), we are already observing an increase in the number of outstanding manuscripts being submitted to the JREN. We will continue to network internationally, expand the clinical nutrition and dietetics component of the JREN, and increase the scope of renal nutrition science. These aspects of the JREN, taken together, offer the nephrology community a most unique and specialized publication that is not found elsewhere in any other nephrology or nutrition journal in the medical literature today.

With best regards to our readership and authors